Tuesday, November 4, 2008

It's that time of year. Candy is everywhere, including in your kids' rooms. This is when my kids used to always have one of two common problems; they either got the runs from too much sugar, or they got plugged up from too much sugar. Funny that these two very opposite problems can be caused by the same bad nutrition, but it does. We're all wired differently, and so our bodies can react either way.

So what's a mom to do? I have some info to help, and a couple of websites if you'd like to read more. Let's start with fiber. No matter which problem you're dealing with, fiber is important to correcting it. According to Bella Online, the top high fiber foods (with more than 7 grams of fiber per serving) are:

avocado

black beans

bran cereal (the Winner, weigh in in at nearly 20 grams in a cup)

broccoli

green peas

kale

kidney beans

lentils

Lima beans

navy beans

oats

pinto beans

split peas

raspberries

brown rice

soybeans

You may be asking "What if my kids won't eat anything on this list?" Here's Bella's B List, each item containing more than 3 grams of fiber per serving:

almonds

apples, with skin on

banana

blueberries

cabbage

cauliflower

corn

figs

flax seeds

garbanzo beans

grapefruit

green beans

olives

oranges

papaya

pasta, whole wheat

peach

pear

pistachio nuts

potato, baked, with the skin

prunes

pumpkin seeds

sesame seeds

spinach

strawberries

sweet potato

Swiss chard

turnip greens

winter squash

yams

Did you just ask the same question I did? I thought yams and sweet potatoes were the same thing. I'll have to remember to ask the produce department folks about that.

I've included the links to these two sites, so feel free to check out their other ideas and topics. Good luck getting through this tough week after Halloween. I remember these problems all too well. Hang in there.

One last thing: Don't forget to vote today. Our future depends on your participation, and getting involved is empowering. See you at the polls.